Angelo Mathews to retire from Test cricket

Mathews will play just one more Test in his career. © AFP
Veteran Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews will retire from Test cricket after the first Test against Bangladesh in Galle, starting June 17. Mathews, who turns 38 just before the match, will bring the curtains down on a decorated Test career that began at the very same venue in July 2009. While this marks the end of his red-ball journey, he has made himself available for white-ball selection "if and when my country needs me."

"It is time for me to say goodbye to the most cherished format of the game, international Test Cricket! I have given everything to cricket and cricket has given me everything in return and made me the person I am today," Mathews wrote in a social media post.

The Galle Test will be Mathews' 119th in the format, 34 of which he played as captain. He is set to finish as Sri Lanka's third-highest run-scorer in Tests, behind only Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. Heading into his final match, he has amassed 8,167 runs at an average of 44.62, with 16 centuries and a highest score of 200*. He also chipped in with 33 wickets.

Among the highlights of his career was a prolific stretch between 2013 and 2015, when he averaged 74.60, 77.33 and 42.25 across the three years, scoring six hundreds and 12 fifties. That purple patch included a second-innings 160 in Sri Lanka's memorable win at Headingley. Though he never quite recaptured those heights, Mathews averaged over 50 in both 2022 and 2023, notching up four more centuries. His most recent ton came against Afghanistan in 2024.

"I stand grateful to the game and thankful to the thousands of Sri Lanka cricket fans who have been there for me throughout my career during my highest of highs and lowest of lows," Mathews wrote. "I believe this Test team is a talented side with many future and present greats playing the game. Now seems like the best time to make way for a younger player to take the mantle to shine for our nation.

"A chapter ends but the love for the game will always remain."